Forklift trucks designed to be carried on the rear of a vehicle are well known. Such forklift trucks are usually stowed by securing the forks of the forklift truck to the body of the vehicle and then elevating the body of the forklift truck relative to the forks so that the forklift truck body is lifted off the ground for travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,141 describes a forklift truck of this type in which the forklift truck has an overhead chassis structure which can be converted between a working configuration and a stowage configuration. In the stowage configuration the hinged overhead chassis closes by folding and the forklift truck body length is reduced for storage and travel.
Such forklift trucks provide the advantage that the shorter body length makes the transport vehicle more stable during travel, but this is achieved by having to make the overhead chassis structure of the truck adjustable, at increased expense and with the possibility of reduced overall strength and integrity.